0:00:02 > 0:00:03From the beginning. Total enunciation.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05# I work all night
0:00:05 > 0:00:06# I work all day to pay the bills... #
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Yeah! Lovely! Smash it!
0:00:08 > 0:00:10# Ain't it sad... #
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Choirs are my passion.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14# ..they never seem to be... #
0:00:14 > 0:00:17And have been all my life.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18# That's too bad... #
0:00:18 > 0:00:22For me, they're the ultimate instrument,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25capable of incredible subtlety.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Lovely. Really, lovely.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Huge complexity.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30It needs to be blended.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34And powerful emotion.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37# Oooh-oooh
0:00:37 > 0:00:39# Oooh-oooh
0:00:39 > 0:00:42# Ooh, yeah, ooh, yeah... #
0:00:42 > 0:00:44I could do that all day.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49But there are secrets that lie behind a fantastic choral sound
0:00:49 > 0:00:51that reveal how a choir works.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56I want to show you what those secrets are.
0:00:56 > 0:01:05# ..wind blows... #
0:01:12 > 0:01:13One, two, three and...
0:01:13 > 0:01:16# Stand by...
0:01:16 > 0:01:19My name's Gareth Malone and I've been obsessed with singing since
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I was a child.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24One more time. One, two, three and...
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I joined my first choir when I was just nine
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and I went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31And...
0:01:31 > 0:01:33CHOIR SINGS
0:01:33 > 0:01:35As a conductor in schools and communities,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40I try to spread my love for choral music to as many people as possible.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42It's really got the rhythm, guys!
0:01:42 > 0:01:46CHORAL MUSIC
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Today, my mission continues.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- Morning.- Morning.- I'm here to work with BBC singers.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I'm going to explore some of my favourite pieces with one of
0:02:02 > 0:02:05my favourite choirs - the BBC singers.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12It's 10.15am and it's Maida Vale, Studio 2. A beautiful room.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15HE PLAYS THE PIANO
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I want to look at all the different aspects of choirs.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It's hard to separate things out but
0:02:20 > 0:02:24there's harmony and polyphony and volume
0:02:24 > 0:02:26and the different parts of the choir.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I want to take each one and rip it apart and put it back together again
0:02:30 > 0:02:35so that people can understand how complicated choirs actually are.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38They are simple when you listen to it.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40It can sound like the sound just came together.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45But there is a lot of detail and a lot of time put into making
0:02:45 > 0:02:47these sounds blend together.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Good morning.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Hello. Good morning.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Good morning!
0:02:53 > 0:02:58The idea of today is to lift the bonnet of the choir
0:02:58 > 0:03:00and look at the engine and see how it works.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02# Goldfinger
0:03:02 > 0:03:04# Ba-ba, ba
0:03:04 > 0:03:05# Da-da, da-da, da
0:03:05 > 0:03:06# He's the man... #
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I want to start with the basics.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Fundamental to all great choirs is the range and variety
0:03:12 > 0:03:14of the human voice.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18# Only gold
0:03:18 > 0:03:24# He loves go-o-o-old. #
0:03:24 > 0:03:26CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:03:26 > 0:03:31CHOIR SINGS
0:03:35 > 0:03:40With these singers, you have 24 virtuoso voices joining together
0:03:40 > 0:03:42to make a magnificent sound.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44# Amen
0:03:44 > 0:03:47# Ah-h-h-h... #
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It all looks so easy.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54# Amen. #
0:03:54 > 0:03:59Right. You can't make the sort of sound that you all make
0:03:59 > 0:04:00without an element of training.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04I thought it would be really good to demonstrate this to ask...
0:04:04 > 0:04:06We're gonna have a competition.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09To get an idea of what the voice can do,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I've recruited a member of the production team.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- Have you ever had a singing lesson? - No.
0:04:14 > 0:04:15Completely new to this.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21OK. Freddie, without doing anything painful, or damaging yourself,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24would you like to give us a large note without...
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Don't shout but let's hear what you've got.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29# Aaahhhhhhh. #
0:04:30 > 0:04:31That's pretty good.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33There's a voice there.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Can I have... I think, probably, a bass?
0:04:36 > 0:04:37Would you stand next to him?
0:04:37 > 0:04:42- Would you like to see if you could match that volume?- Yes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44# Aaaahhhhh. #
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Do you think you can go a notch higher than that?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51# Aaahhhhh. #
0:04:52 > 0:04:55# Aahhhhhhhhh. #
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Can you go any louder?
0:04:58 > 0:05:00HE FAILS TO HIT THE NOTE
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Ow! That sounded pretty... Was that painful?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08THEY SING IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE
0:05:08 > 0:05:11The thing about most choirs is
0:05:11 > 0:05:13they sing without amplification.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16The type of singing required,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21is a kind of singing that's very connected to the body
0:05:21 > 0:05:22and connected to the ground.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26THEY SING IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE
0:05:30 > 0:05:33With volume, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35"I'm just gonna smash it."
0:05:35 > 0:05:36It doesn't work like that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40You've got to be relaxed and... HE BREATHES IN
0:05:40 > 0:05:44..let more space come and have the right sort of vocal cavity
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and have all these muscles engaged.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51If you're super-tense and gritting, you try and make
0:05:51 > 0:05:53a big sound but not a loud sound.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Let's have that G again.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56PIANIST PLAYS G
0:05:56 > 0:05:57# Aaaaaaahhh. #
0:05:57 > 0:06:01# Aaaaaahhhhhh. #
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Much better.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Already better. Try and do it again with more of a yawn.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07HE YAWNS
0:06:07 > 0:06:10# Aaaaaahhhhh. #
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Yeah. That's good!
0:06:12 > 0:06:15There's a bit of push in there, isn't there?
0:06:15 > 0:06:20Yeah. It's much better. You opened your mouth wider as well
0:06:20 > 0:06:24- and relaxed your jaw, which also helps.- It made a difference.- Yeah.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28CHOIR SINGS
0:06:31 > 0:06:35The range of the human voice is what makes choirs so versatile.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39When it comes to the power of choral voices,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43one piece in particular never ceases to impress me.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Mahler's Second Symphony, the Resurrection Symphony. Erm...
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I've chosen this piece because it shows,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00demonstrates clearly the huge range of volume
0:07:00 > 0:07:02that a choir is capable of producing.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The great thing about Mahler Two is that you wait
0:07:12 > 0:07:14for the choir to come in at the end.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18They get nervous waiting because they've got to come in quietly.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21It's a wonderful moment because they come in
0:07:21 > 0:07:23on this D-flat major chord
0:07:23 > 0:07:25very quietly indeed.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29CHOIR SINGS
0:07:38 > 0:07:42HE MOUTHS
0:07:43 > 0:07:45All the great choirs will be able to sing
0:07:45 > 0:07:48really quietly and really loudly.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Those are different things, which need
0:07:51 > 0:07:53different things from the singers.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Even though you're singing quietly, it's still about being focussed.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00You have to be able to sing the right pitch,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and have a focus and projection.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05CHOIR SINGS
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It's a bit like taking a fine car
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and putting your foot down on the accelerator.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38You think, "This car is purring along nicely. Now see what it can do
0:08:38 > 0:08:41"when I really want to make a point."
0:08:41 > 0:08:43The accelerator just goes and goes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47That's when you feel the impressive nature of this music.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51CHOIR SINGS
0:09:17 > 0:09:21You say to a chorus I want you to feel you're shouting that.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22They'll produce a certain colour.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25That's a great feature, particularly about the end of
0:09:25 > 0:09:28the Resurrection Symphony where they're almost shouting out
0:09:28 > 0:09:30to the audience, to God, himself.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34CHOIR SINGS
0:09:43 > 0:09:46A friend of mine played me Mahler's Second Symphony
0:09:46 > 0:09:49when I was quite young and I was bowled over by it.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53It's so dramatic.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56CHOIR SINGS
0:10:00 > 0:10:04For me, Mahler is like watching a whole load of different films.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08One minute it's like Star Wars, the next it's like Lawrence Of Arabia.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The next minute it's like some great big religious epic.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16And then, finally, it's like the triumph of the hero,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18the end of the story and the choir are singing
0:10:18 > 0:10:22and all of the heavens are ablaze. It's incredible.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Have a seat.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Wow!
0:10:38 > 0:10:42I wasn't singing and I'm going to have a glass of water. Really good. Well done.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45THEY IMPROVISE
0:10:47 > 0:10:50For me, the human voice is the greatest instrument.
0:10:50 > 0:10:57As well as having an incredible range of notes and being able to sing really loudly or softly
0:10:57 > 0:11:02it also can make such a vast array of sounds that other instruments simply can't do.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07And some of these sounds are not what most people would think of as singing.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12I have chosen The Tiger by Giles Swayne, which I think is gonna be really fun.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16What's great about this piece is that he manages to use just vocal sounds
0:11:16 > 0:11:19to create a sense of atmosphere and place,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22just using simple things like, "Teh-teh-teh".
0:11:22 > 0:11:26On their own they're not particularly impressive, they don't sound choral,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29but when you start to put them together how he does,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32you get something that's incredibly evocative.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35To-ko-ta-ko-ta. Can we all try that?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- # To-ko-ta-ko-ta. # - Hmm.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Let's do it slowly. To-ko-ta-ko-ta.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- JUMBLED:- To-ko-ta-ko-ta.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44To-ko-ta-ko-ta.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45- To-ko-ta-ko-ta.- That's good.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Now with the pitch. And...
0:11:48 > 0:11:49# To-ko-ta-ko-ta! #
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Yeah. I'm starting to like it.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Can we put underneath that the "Brrrr-rap!"
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Brrrr-rap! Hummm!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Brrrr-rap!
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Hummm!
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Can we do the whole thing standing up? Let's go.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Ha!
0:12:08 > 0:12:11# Teh-teh-teh-teh-teh-teh
0:12:11 > 0:12:14# Oooh-ah
0:12:14 > 0:12:18# Oooh-ah! #
0:12:18 > 0:12:23We're still exploring the different things the human voice can do.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28Some of our contemporary composers have been brilliant in doing that,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Giles Swayne, for example.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32At being able to use the human voice, without text
0:12:32 > 0:12:33to create effect.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35To-ko-ta-ko-ta! Tiger.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Tiger.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Tiger!
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Tiger!
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Tiger! Tiger!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45It's so exciting when you come across a new piece of music
0:12:45 > 0:12:48that has used the human voice in a way you never even thought possible.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50# Oh Lord
0:12:50 > 0:12:51# Oh Lord
0:12:51 > 0:12:52# Doong-doong
0:12:52 > 0:12:55# Doong-doong. #
0:12:55 > 0:12:57HE IMITATES DRUMS
0:12:57 > 0:13:03There's an extraordinary American group and if you hear them...
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I've been so often deceived into thinking I'm listening to instruments
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and I'm not, I'm listening to voices.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11They can produce any instrument in their voice.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14# For all my life
0:13:14 > 0:13:16# Oh, Lord... #
0:13:16 > 0:13:20They can mimic electric guitars, bass guitar,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22saxophones...
0:13:22 > 0:13:27Absolutely stunning how they can work together. It sounds like a band on stage,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29but it's just voices.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31# Oh-oh-oh
0:13:31 > 0:13:33# Oh-oh-oh. #
0:13:33 > 0:13:36HE IMITATES DRUMS
0:13:36 > 0:13:41We sometimes say, "Clever old voice for being an instrument." But I think it's the other way round.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Clever old instrument for so being so close to the voice.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46# I don't know what there is to see
0:13:47 > 0:13:49# But I know it's time for you to leave
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- # Ah-ah - # We're all just pushing along. #
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Most choirs have four different voice sections
0:13:55 > 0:13:58# All your anticipation... #
0:13:58 > 0:14:02There are two groups of high voices, usually sung by women.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07And two of low voices sung by men.
0:14:07 > 0:14:13Put together, these parts give a choir an amazing range
0:14:13 > 0:14:15of pitch and tone.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19# So come on see the light on your face let it shine
0:14:19 > 0:14:22# Just let it shine. #
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Handel's Messiah.
0:14:24 > 0:14:30'Handel's Messiah is one of the most popular choral pieces of all time
0:14:30 > 0:14:32'and one of the first I ever performed.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38'Written almost 300 years ago, it's a perfect example of how the four sections combine.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:42For me, the wonderful thing about a choir is the different colours,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46different sounds that each voice section bring to it.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So that's the basses - the lowest part. The tenors, slightly higher,
0:14:49 > 0:14:54the altos and then the sopranos. These four sections are the backbone of the choir.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I'd like to start by just hearing the basses on their own
0:14:57 > 0:15:00cos, you guys, are the foundation, you're the underpinning
0:15:00 > 0:15:05of all the harmony that'll come later when we put the tenors, sopranos and altos on top of it.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08I'm marked "forte" for this, so let's try.
0:15:10 > 0:15:20# Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. #
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Probably the most important part of the lot is the bass.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26It's everything the sound sits on.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31The bass sets up the fundamental of the sound
0:15:31 > 0:15:38and then the tenor, the alto and the soprano, they build on top of that like bricks.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43Lovely though it was, it sounds rather bald without the rest of the harmonies.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46LAUGHTER I'm hoping we can put some hair on it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Worthy Is The Lamb.
0:15:51 > 0:16:02- ROUNDED QUALITY: - # Worthy is the Lamb that was slain... #
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Every section has their own character.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10That's part of what makes the choral sound exciting
0:16:10 > 0:16:13because it's these individual characters,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16which come together, to pull in the same direction.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22Just like in an orchestra, I always think the woodwinds have a certain character
0:16:22 > 0:16:23and so does the violins.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26I think the different sections of a choir also have character.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29You get the beefy bass-sounding people
0:16:29 > 0:16:34who I usually connect to the brass players.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36They like a bit of a laugh.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42I could get told off for this terribly by my singing colleagues, but sopranos can be the divas.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46They're the people who like to stand in the front and they get a lot of the limelight.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54Tenors are very heroic. The altos I find quite easy, quite laid back.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Just like the jam in the sandwich, quite happy.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00# Him that sitteth upon the throne
0:17:00 > 0:17:02# And unto the Lamb. #
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Good, and well there's our choir.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Thank you very much. Pass your Handels to the side.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13In addition to the standard four parts -
0:17:13 > 0:17:14soprano, alto, tenor, bass,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17you can also have mutations of that.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22You could have a big 6ft 6 chap
0:17:22 > 0:17:24who can sing soprano.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28But it's likely that his
0:17:28 > 0:17:31soprano will have a completely different colour.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33HE SINGS SOPRANO
0:17:37 > 0:17:39That's an added element
0:17:39 > 0:17:45to the scope that one has to create these variants of tone, colour
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and texture.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Andreas Scholl, who's an alto.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58He can sing very, very high. It's a distinctive, but very pure sound.
0:17:58 > 0:18:05# She bid me take love easy
0:18:05 > 0:18:08# As the leaves grow... #
0:18:08 > 0:18:10He sings with a beautiful, rich tone
0:18:10 > 0:18:15you wouldn't really think if you saw a guy, you wouldn't think it's the sort of sound he could make,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18but he makes it extremely well. It's beautiful.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33We think of choirs having four parts but we depart from that all over the place.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37A glorious example is Thomas Tallis,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40who wrote his 40-part notette.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45We're told it was for Queen Elizabeth's 40th birthday.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47That he was paid £40 for it.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52He wrote it in 40 parts. There are eight different choirs,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54each of five parts.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57MUSIC: "Spem In Alium" by Tallis
0:19:02 > 0:19:06You have eight five-part choirs who talk sometimes against each other
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and sometimes with each other. It gives a whole sense of drama.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16The experience of hearing this wall of sound...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18is extraordinary.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It's unlike anything else.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21It's unique.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25You're just engulfed.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It's thrilling. It really is very, very thrilling.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I have sung Spem In Alium a couple of times.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It's an absolutely incredible piece.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37What's wonderful about it is the way the harmony moves.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43There's overlapping textures, like an enormous tapestry of sound.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46If you're in the middle of it, listening with all the parts moving,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51the sounds changing around you, it's incredible. It's like no other choir piece.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53PIECE ENDS
0:19:56 > 0:19:58APPLAUSE
0:20:00 > 0:20:03# Ooh-ooh ooh
0:20:03 > 0:20:08# You and I must make a pact... #
0:20:08 > 0:20:12'From the moment I sang with my school choir, I was hooked.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17'But it wasn't a particular song that grabbed me. It was the sound -
0:20:17 > 0:20:19'a sound that's the hallmark of choral music.'
0:20:19 > 0:20:25- # I'll be there - I'll be there... #
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Right, I want to think about harmony,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34and, for me, that's the great joy of being in a choir and listening to a choir, is hearing harmony.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40There are so many possibilities with harmony that add colour and texture
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and richness to the sound world.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48SINGLE VOICE SINGS PLAIN CHANT
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Many years ago, we started with chant.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57In monasteries, usually, and usually not written down.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03Then, gradually, people started singing in harmony, putting them together.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06SEVERAL VOICES SING IN HARMONY
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'The sound of harmony is incredibly effective,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18'but it's based on a very simple principle.'
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Which notes most closely go with this?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24HE PLAYS SINGLE NOTE
0:21:24 > 0:21:26The next closest is...
0:21:26 > 0:21:28HE ADDS NOTE AN OCTAVE HIGHER
0:21:28 > 0:21:31The next closest after that is...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33HE ADDS FIFTH NOTE ABOVE FIRST NOTE
0:21:33 > 0:21:35And the next...
0:21:35 > 0:21:37HE ADDS THIRD NOTE ABOVE FIRST NOTE
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- And those three form what we call a triad. - HE PLAYS LOWER THREE NOTES
0:21:41 > 0:21:44'That is the basis of all harmony.'
0:21:44 > 0:21:48'So these triads, or chords, can be used to create
0:21:48 > 0:21:50'the most beautiful harmonies.'
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Let's do a...C major chord, right.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Can I have the first note, from the basses?
0:21:57 > 0:21:59BASSES SING C
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Can I have a fifth, the G?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02TENORS SING G
0:22:02 > 0:22:03An E, the third...
0:22:03 > 0:22:05ALTOS SING E
0:22:05 > 0:22:06And another C.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08SOPRANOS SING HIGHER C
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The human voice - when that comes together, in harmony,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15there's not a man-made instrument that can touch it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19Beautifully blended, if I may say. Very nice.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Hundreds of years ago we just had those simple chords.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Now we have much more advanced harmony available to us -
0:22:24 > 0:22:28there are sevenths and ninths, and different notes you can add in
0:22:28 > 0:22:32that bring different colours, different textures,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and make the sound world of contemporary music
0:22:35 > 0:22:39and contemporary classical music much more colourful.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40So let's try that.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Can I have a C again?
0:22:43 > 0:22:45BASSES SING C
0:22:45 > 0:22:48And let's have the fifth, and a second, a D...
0:22:48 > 0:22:50ALTOS SING D
0:22:50 > 0:22:52..and a seventh.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56SOPRANOS SING B
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I literally could stand here and do that all day.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02It's really good! You might get bored... THEY LAUGH
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'What I really love about choral harmony
0:23:05 > 0:23:08'is how its influence has spread far beyond classical music.'
0:23:08 > 0:23:13MUSIC: "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I remember, very clearly, hearing the Beach Boys singing unaccompanied.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22And that really impressed me - the way they used harmony, the way they sing,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26the way they listen to each other, the way they're absolutely together. Feels like a choir.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- # Ooh, ba-ba, good vibrations - I'm pickin' up good vibrations
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- # Ooh, ba-ba, excitations - She's givin' me excitations... #
0:23:33 > 0:23:37The sound that the Beach Boys make, with those harmonies,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41is the culmination of a language which has grown up over centuries.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45- # ..good vibrations... - She's givin' me excitations
0:23:45 > 0:23:51# Close my eyes She's somehow closer now...
0:23:53 > 0:23:54# Softly smile... #
0:23:54 > 0:23:58The Beach Boys' harmonies are usually in four parts
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and it's very clean, accessible harmony.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03All the parts are more or less equal
0:24:03 > 0:24:07so you don't just have one lead singer and the backing harmonies.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13Very recognisable, so within a few chords you know it's the Beach Boys. They've created their own language.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- # Do do do doo, do do do doo - Oooh, ooh-ooh
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- # Do do do doo, do do do doo - Oooh, ooh
0:24:21 > 0:24:27- # Do do do doo, do do do doo - Ooh, oh-ooh, ooh ooh... #
0:24:27 > 0:24:31'You take a sad tune, you add some harmonies to it, it makes it more sad.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Take a happy tune, add some harmonies to it, a bit of rhythm, it makes it more happy.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40# I may not always love you But long as there are... #
0:24:40 > 0:24:46'Harmony gives musicians the potential to be fully expressive.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:51That's not to say that a unison line with absolutely no harmonic background
0:24:51 > 0:24:54is not beautiful and expressive.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00But harmonies can create immediate and deep-felt effect.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03# If you should ever leave me
0:25:03 > 0:25:08# My life would still go on believe me
0:25:08 > 0:25:12# The world would show nothing to me
0:25:12 > 0:25:17# So what good would living do me
0:25:17 > 0:25:19# God only knows... #
0:25:19 > 0:25:23What I like about God Only Knows is that it has a real simplicity, a buoyant nature,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and the harmony's very simple - HE HUMS MAIN TUNE
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and it kind of ebbs and flows.
0:25:29 > 0:25:37# God only knows what I'd be without you-ou-ou-ou
0:25:39 > 0:25:45# With...out...you. #
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'The Beach Boys brilliantly repackaged harmonies for a modern audience.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:52APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Thank you! Thank you, and good evening everybody!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01'But, for me, the most astonishing harmonies in choral pop music
0:26:01 > 0:26:04'can be found in a song by Queen.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:08We're going to start off with a little segment from a number
0:26:08 > 0:26:10called Bohemian Rhapsody.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15'I really love Bohemian Rhapsody, because of the range of emotion and musical style'
0:26:15 > 0:26:19contained within it. It's a sort of miniature, a choral miniature.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23# Mama, just killed a man
0:26:23 > 0:26:28# Put a gun against his head Pulled my trigger... #
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'Bohemian Rhapsody's amazing. I remember the first time I saw it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33'It's an incredible song.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37'What's compelling about that piece is it's pushing all the boundaries.'
0:26:37 > 0:26:42There's very good harmony, very complicated harmony, harmonic singing.
0:26:42 > 0:26:49- # Mama, ooh-oo-oo-ooh - Anywhere the wind blows
0:26:49 > 0:26:52# I don't want to die
0:26:52 > 0:26:55# I sometimes wish I'd never been born... #
0:26:55 > 0:27:00It uses a lot of choral effects, it's long, it's in lots of different sections,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and it's high and low, fast and slow.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05# Mamma mia, mamma mia Mamma mia let me go
0:27:05 > 0:27:09# Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
0:27:09 > 0:27:15# For me, for me... #
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It's just an amazing piece.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Yeah!
0:27:22 > 0:27:23You're just dazzled, as a listener.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29# So you think you can stone me And spit in my eye
0:27:29 > 0:27:32# So you think you can love me And leave me to die... #
0:27:32 > 0:27:36The choral ability that they have in those pieces is significant.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Bohemian Rhapsody made a big impact, and, for a lot of people,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43that kind of represents what choral music is.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52# Any way the wind
0:27:52 > 0:27:59# Blo-o-o-ows. #
0:28:01 > 0:28:05# I'm quick on the trigger With targets not much bigger
0:28:05 > 0:28:07# Than a pinpoint, I'm number one
0:28:07 > 0:28:08# I'm number one
0:28:08 > 0:28:10# But my score with a fella... #
0:28:10 > 0:28:15'As a choral novice, I thought choirs were all about the singers...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17'and the conductor.'
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Has everyone got a copy?
0:28:20 > 0:28:24'But choral composers are a vital part of the mix,
0:28:24 > 0:28:29'and they're responsible for a style that gives a choir its true depth and intricacy.'
0:28:29 > 0:28:34OK, ladies and gents, we looked at homophonic music,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36which is music with big blocks, big block harmony,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38some very scrunchy harmonies as well,
0:28:38 > 0:28:43and now I want to look at music where it's polyphonic.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Polyphony is music where individual parts move separately.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50'One favourite of mine is by a 16th-century Englishman
0:28:50 > 0:28:54'who was a master of beautiful sacred music.'
0:28:54 > 0:28:57To really get a good example of polyphony,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I think you can't get much better than Byrd,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02a wonderful, wonderful English composer.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04And, in this piece, the altos start
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and then the tenors go at a different time,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09then the basses go at a different time,
0:29:09 > 0:29:13and they all seem to take different routes before finally arriving at their destination.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And that's the essence of polyphony.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19To make this really clear, I'm going to ask a smaller selection - three to a part.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Would you like to come and stand forward?
0:29:22 > 0:29:24And I'm going to show very clearly
0:29:24 > 0:29:27where each part sets off on its own particular journey
0:29:27 > 0:29:30before arriving at the home key of E flat.
0:29:31 > 0:29:41- #- Sa...
0:29:33 > 0:29:41Sa...
0:29:35 > 0:29:41Sa...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43- ALL: #- ..nctus.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48- #- Sa...
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- Sa...- #
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Polyphony, the word, is "several" "sounds".
0:29:51 > 0:29:52Poly-phony.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57It may be the same tune worked differently.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00It may be a completely different tune.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03But it's lines of sound that occur together.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08And so your ear is being passed from part to part.
0:30:08 > 0:30:15THEY SING
0:30:15 > 0:30:19If you and I were to sing two songs at the same time,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21the result would not be pleasant.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Unless we organised it, unless we worked it out.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29And the genius of a composer of polyphony
0:30:29 > 0:30:35is that they manage to get these several tunes working at the same time
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and that at any one moment they are working in harmony.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43So this special thing which we call harmony happens,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45at all moments.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48And there's no moment when it is just fog.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50So it's all bright light.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55THEY SING
0:30:55 > 0:31:01I think Byrd's three-part mass is so beautiful,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03that it works from a technical point of view,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06but emotionally as well, it's spiritually uplifting.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11Byrd's three-part mass was probably written in the 1590s sometime,
0:31:11 > 0:31:16when we know that Byrd was away from London working in a very small, recusant Catholic household,
0:31:16 > 0:31:21so a Catholic household where they were celebrating mass privately for fear of being discovered.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25He writes music which is slightly secretive, rather mystical,
0:31:25 > 0:31:27and it's a little bit like a quiet conversation.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Using our polyphonic rule, each of the three voices is as important as the other.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40No one part is recessed in any way.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43They've all got to be equally strong or equally quiet,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45but there's an intimacy about it,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48and there's even a playfulness.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51And it gives you this wonderfully engaging music.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Of course, it's only three voices, which is not unusual in that period,
0:31:58 > 0:32:03but the fact that it's three voices means that it's even more important to get the tuning
0:32:03 > 0:32:05and the blend and the ensemble absolutely right.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22In order to sing polyphony, one has to be quite sophisticated musically
0:32:22 > 0:32:25in terms of one's musical approach.
0:32:25 > 0:32:32So, in a sense, polyphony is the highest art in choir singing.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I love all Bach's music,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43but in particular the Mass In B Minor.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Just take, for example, the opening chorus.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49I mean, this is a great example of polyphonic writing at the beginning.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00It's a great example of the mastery that Bach has over writing for orchestra and choir.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14In terms of polyphony, you don't need to look much further than Bach,
0:33:14 > 0:33:20because Bach had a way of being able to take a tune and say, "That will work."
0:33:32 > 0:33:35One wonderful example, Dona Nobis Pacem,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37from the end of the B Minor Mass.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49That little tune works with the other parts coming in, one after the other, perfectly.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51And forms the wonderful, wonderful harmonies.
0:33:51 > 0:33:58And it's such a clear construction, we can all hear that one part comes in after the other.
0:33:58 > 0:34:05THEY SING
0:34:05 > 0:34:12What he's doing, Bach, is he's exploring the absolute extremities of what he's inherited,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16in terms of harmonic language,
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and working with patterns.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22And he was an unsurpassed genius.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Then it reaches the most wonderful musical conclusion
0:34:32 > 0:34:34with drums and trumpets coming in as well.
0:34:51 > 0:34:57And the great, unanswered question is, how did he manage
0:34:57 > 0:35:01to create work of such awesome transcendental beauty,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04which you know is divinely inspired?
0:35:04 > 0:35:10Somehow you feel that music like this cannot exist out of just one human being.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13There has to be the hand of God in there, somehow.
0:35:20 > 0:35:26Location can be the making and the breaking of a choir's performance.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29I could spend six months rehearsing with a choir,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32perfecting their polyphony and creating beautiful harmonies,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36but a key part of the success of their performance will be where they sing.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45OK, so, here we are in what is quite a small space,
0:35:45 > 0:35:46a studio space.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48It has a very particular acoustic.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50If we put the same sound in a huge cathedral
0:35:50 > 0:35:52it would sound completely different
0:35:52 > 0:35:55and your relationship with the volume is completely different.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I'd like to do a scientific experiment.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I would like four volunteers, one from each sections,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02to come with me around the building
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and we will try singing in different spaces,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10to see what effect that has on the volume and on the sound that you make.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Slightly bigger.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Shall we sing at the space?- OK.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20So if we turn around there and bounce it off the back wall.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25THEY SING
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Lovely. Really makes a difference. You... HEY!
0:36:37 > 0:36:38ECHOES
0:36:38 > 0:36:40HEY!
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Is it easier, do you think, to sing in a space like this?
0:36:42 > 0:36:44- Much easier.- Yes.
0:36:44 > 0:36:45Why is that?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48You don't really feel you have to make an enormous effort.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50You get something back.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55THEY SING
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Yeah, that's great.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04I was once singing in the Royal Albert Hall Berlioz's Te Deum.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06It's a huge round,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08oval-shaped building,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10and the choir stands at one end and sings out.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15And because of the hugeness, the vastness of the space,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17I felt that I was singing on my own.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20I couldn't hear anyone beside me.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23The sound just went like this, and then around.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25It didn't come back to me at all.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29In concert halls your sound usually reflects off surfaces and comes back to you.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33In that particular hall it didn't, and it felt very, very frightening.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37This space is perfect. It's perfect for a medium-sized choir.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Especially when it's got a few people in it.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41It's got lots of wood,
0:37:41 > 0:37:46you can hear from my speaking voice that there's a lovely echo.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49# Hear my prayer. #
0:37:49 > 0:37:50ECHOES
0:37:51 > 0:37:54That really lasted in the space.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58So, the sound leaves a legacy behind it.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59But not too much.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03I mean, if it went on echoing for five or six seconds
0:38:03 > 0:38:07it's very, very difficult to have clarity in the sound.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Here at St Paul's we have an eight-second echo.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18So that makes our life quite difficult sometimes.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21If we're doing Bach, for example, fast Bach,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23then it's very difficult for
0:38:23 > 0:38:26the congregation to hear exactly what we're doing.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Conversely, if you go into a very dry acoustic,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37where there is no echo whatsoever, that can have the opposite effect.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40THEY SING
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Yeah, just doesn't go anywhere.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44It stops, doesn't it?
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Yeah, splat.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Which I suppose could make you feel a bit insecure.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52A good practice room though, you've got the worst possible acoustic.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55You're always going to sound better in real life.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- So true though. - Best way to practise.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00A lot of singers practise singing into a corner or something,
0:39:00 > 0:39:04so they get nothing back, you know? Rather than singing out into a room.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12One venue, more than any other, has influenced choral music.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17The shape of Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice was a major inspiration for composers of polyphony.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Everybody started writing for different choirs,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22singing from different parts of the building.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27There are balconies, different little chapels, different spaces, all over.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Together with a beautiful acoustic as well.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32And you just have to go in there to think,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35"Right, we could put a choir up there and a choir up there,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37"and a soloist there, and a lute here."
0:39:40 > 0:39:43The choirs would talk to each other and this gives you
0:39:43 > 0:39:46a good sense of theatricality because there's distance.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49It's a bit like a tennis match, you have to look at one side,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52then you look at the other side as the ball travels across.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55It's exactly the same in the music,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57so you get some sense of stage, almost.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04It became very, very exciting for composers to experiment
0:40:04 > 0:40:05with creating effect,
0:40:05 > 0:40:09which had to really mesmerise the public.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26T: "Jerusalem"
0:40:29 > 0:40:34There's one thing in particular that makes choirs special.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Which enables them to reach beyond music
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and touch your soul.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03As you know, I spend a lot of my time dealing with people
0:41:03 > 0:41:05who haven't sung in choirs before.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09And above all, the thing that they struggle most with
0:41:09 > 0:41:12is understanding the technique necessary to communicate words.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16it's such a difficult thing to get across to people.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Because you think, "Well, I'm saying the word clearly,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21"I can hear it, can feel it in my mouth,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23"it feels clear to me."
0:41:23 > 0:41:26But of course, when you're singing, it's so different, isn't it?
0:41:26 > 0:41:30It's that sense of having to project the words, every single syllable
0:41:30 > 0:41:34and consonant and vowel has to be clear as crystal.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36So I wanted to have a look at Jerusalem
0:41:36 > 0:41:40because it's all in unison, so something everybody knows.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44But really, focus in on the text, and how we communicate that text.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46We'll just start by just speaking the words.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Can we do it all together?
0:41:49 > 0:41:53ALL: And did those feet in ancient time
0:41:53 > 0:41:57Walk upon England's mountains green?
0:41:57 > 0:42:02It's of utmost importance that the choir sings with incredible care
0:42:02 > 0:42:05because the word needs to be understood.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07And for the word to be understood it needs a good start,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09it needs a good middle,
0:42:09 > 0:42:10and it needs a good end.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13But not only that, it needs everyone to do it at the same time
0:42:13 > 0:42:14and in the same way.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17..and was Jerusalem builded here
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Among those dark Satanic mills?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23That's really interesting. Even though you're just speaking
0:42:23 > 0:42:28I can hear variations, that somebody wants to say, "And did those FEET in ancient times..."
0:42:28 > 0:42:32And somebody else wants to say, "And did those feet in ANCIENT times..."
0:42:32 > 0:42:34There's all these subtle variations
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and I suppose in a choir you can't really have that, we've got to
0:42:37 > 0:42:38tie it down a bit.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Say for me that first phrase
0:42:40 > 0:42:44and see if we can absolutely get "ancient" as the main word. Say it again.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48ALL: And did those feet in ANCIENT time.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Already, just because I've asked you to think about it,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53suddenly it makes more sense.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Shall we sing it now? Shall we stand?
0:42:56 > 0:43:01I would like you to imagine it's somewhere where people really can't hear the words.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03"And did those feet..." From the beginning,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07TOTAL enunciation on every single syllable.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08Here we go, straight in.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10One...two...
0:43:10 > 0:43:14# And did those feet
0:43:14 > 0:43:17# In ancient time
0:43:17 > 0:43:24# Walk up on England's mountains green?
0:43:24 > 0:43:26# And was the... #
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Pronunciation of words in choirs is on two levels.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32One the one hand you want it to be clear
0:43:32 > 0:43:35so you can hear what the words mean and be bound up in the emotion.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39But also, you want the sounds to be beautiful.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42The consonants give you the sense and give you the communication.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45But the hard of a word is the vowel,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48and the vowel is what helps to communicate the melody
0:43:48 > 0:43:52and really carry the heart of the sound across to the audience.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Let's hear the vowels on their own, shall we?
0:43:54 > 0:43:56# A-e-o-e. #
0:43:56 > 0:43:57Ready? One...
0:43:57 > 0:44:01# Ah-ey-aaw-eeeh
0:44:01 > 0:44:04# Eeh-ay-oh-aaah
0:44:04 > 0:44:10# Oh-oh-eeh-oh-aah-eh-eeh... #
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Singing is all about the vowel and the breath.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17How the vowel travels on the breath.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19And that will determine the quality of sound.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23# ..eh-oh-aaah-ah-eeh
0:44:25 > 0:44:28# Aah-eeh-oh-aah... #
0:44:28 > 0:44:32I teach people, I give people the sound of the vowel I want to hear.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33When vocalising,
0:44:33 > 0:44:38having the same shape of vowel is what, certainly,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41enables the choir to create the sound that's needed,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45and gives the blend, the harmony, the richness of the harmony,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and that is how we're able to achieve it.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50# ..aay-oh-aah-ay... #
0:44:50 > 0:44:53Singing words with clarity and precision
0:44:53 > 0:44:56is essential when creating a great choral sound.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01But it's the meaning of the words that really matters.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06Words are so important in choral music.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09If you think about it, they're trying to tell a story
0:45:09 > 0:45:11or show an emotion.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14All the great composers really knew how to word paint.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17The text is behind everything.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20It's the underlying common thread.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25The song I'd like to look at is a beautiful hymn, Abide With Me.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28What's wonderful, for me, about Abide With Me
0:45:28 > 0:45:31is that it's a song we all know really well.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35It has roots right to the back of our minds,
0:45:35 > 0:45:36right into our childhoods.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39It's desolate, but also hopeful, isn't it?
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Maybe something about the harmonies, it has that stirring, like,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45"Actually, it's going to be all right, I'll be there,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47"I'll hold your hand", sort of feeling.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Can we have a chord? Let's sing unaccompanied.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53SINGLE CHORD ON PIANO In full.
0:45:54 > 0:46:00# Abide with me
0:46:00 > 0:46:06# Fast falls the eventide... #
0:46:06 > 0:46:09It's a beautiful hymn and certainly,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11it also touches on the religious element,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15the religious side of the lyrics, the words of the song.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18"Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
0:46:18 > 0:46:20"The evening deepens, Lord,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23"With me abide." Remain with me, stay with me.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26They're beautiful words. Again, words.
0:46:26 > 0:46:32# ..and darkness deepens
0:46:32 > 0:46:35# Lord, with me abide... #
0:46:35 > 0:46:39The line that I always find really terribly moving in that hymn is,
0:46:39 > 0:46:40"Help of the helpless."
0:46:40 > 0:46:45Erm...which is such a beautifully simple way of articulating
0:46:45 > 0:46:48that everybody needs comfort,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51and that there are times with everyone feels helpless,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54and I find, at those times, what I want to hear is music.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Cos music is what puts me back together.
0:46:56 > 0:47:02# Help of the helpless
0:47:04 > 0:47:11# O, abide with me. #
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Lovely! Really, really lovely.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19It's something inexplicable, isn't it, about a choir?
0:47:19 > 0:47:23How everyone just senses this is the piece, this is the mood,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28and you all just embody it, you all just become it, just feel it.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32And it's wonderful. And the whole atmosphere of the room changes,
0:47:32 > 0:47:36and it's almost... It gets into the carpet, it's incredible.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:47:46 > 0:47:48There's one member of a choir
0:47:48 > 0:47:51who doesn't have to worry about their voice.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56They just need to worry about everybody else's.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02The conductor just seems to take the choir on to another level.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04It's like a football team, for example.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08There's the key player, and if that player is on point on a particular game
0:48:08 > 0:48:10the team fires.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23I'm delighted to announce that the next thing we're going to do
0:48:23 > 0:48:24is all about me!
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Erm, well, it's about conductors!
0:48:26 > 0:48:29And what the conductor can and can't affect.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33When I was a kid, I imagined that the conductor was like, just making the music up.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36And I couldn't understand what their role was.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Essentially, a conductor's job is to make decisions
0:48:39 > 0:48:43about how fast, how loud, sometimes they are following the score,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47but sometimes following their own intuition, thinking, "No, I want this a bit louder."
0:48:47 > 0:48:49And they might do that just through gesture
0:48:49 > 0:48:52because it's a lot quicker than saying, "Can I have it louder here?"
0:48:52 > 0:48:55But I think everyone understands that you start,
0:48:55 > 0:48:57you go... INHALES SHARPLY
0:48:57 > 0:49:00"Du-nuh!" You know? That's quite clear. Let's try that. Ready...and!
0:49:00 > 0:49:01PIANO PLAYS
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Yeah. Thank you!
0:49:03 > 0:49:04Just a short burst, good!
0:49:04 > 0:49:06I'm just gonna alter my gesture,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08uh, ridiculously, to really demonstrate this.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12So I want you to just really respond to the size of my beat. OK?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26SOFTLY: # I work all night, I work all day
0:49:26 > 0:49:28LOUD: # Pay the bills I have to pay
0:49:28 > 0:49:31SOFTLY: # Ain't it sad?
0:49:32 > 0:49:34LOUD: # And still there never seems to be
0:49:34 > 0:49:36# A single penny left for me
0:49:36 > 0:49:39# That's too bad
0:49:39 > 0:49:44# So in my dreams I have a plan
0:49:44 > 0:49:48VOLUME FADING: # If I got me a wealthy man
0:49:48 > 0:49:50VOLUME BUILDS: # I wouldn't have to work at all
0:49:50 > 0:49:55# I'd fool around and have a ball
0:49:55 > 0:49:56# Badah-badah-badah-bah
0:49:56 > 0:49:58# Badah-badah-badah-bah
0:49:58 > 0:50:00# Money, money, money... #
0:50:00 > 0:50:05A choirmaster has a whole host of things that he or she needs to do.
0:50:05 > 0:50:10You've got to maybe massage the sound, you want to get one section perhaps singing a certain colour.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13One section that you want more powerful.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16# La-ba-da-da-da
0:50:16 > 0:50:18# Money, money, money... #
0:50:18 > 0:50:23You're keeping and setting the tempo. You're holding back the climax until the right moment.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29You're giving all the leads. You are encouraging.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30You're building.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34# ..If I had a little money
0:50:34 > 0:50:35# It's a... #
0:50:35 > 0:50:37It's like knobs on a radio set.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41You're constantly controlling, manipulating.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43# ..If I had a little money
0:50:43 > 0:50:45# It's a rich man's world. #
0:50:46 > 0:50:47Good! OK, thank you.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50People might argue my conducting's like that normally.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54LAUGHTER
0:50:56 > 0:50:59You get all kinds of characters, you get some...
0:50:59 > 0:51:01slightly unhinged people.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03You get some very, very calm people.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06You get some very, very showy, very charismatic people.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08MUSIC: "Symphony No. 5" by Beethoven
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Some maybe have big hair.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14Some perhaps have very, very small beats.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27You can always tell a bad choirmaster and a good choirmaster actually.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Some people think that you can breeze through it
0:51:30 > 0:51:33and, you know, you can kind of pretend that you're conducting.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38But actually, I think a good choir will know as soon as the person
0:51:38 > 0:51:43starts an upbeat whether or not they are very good or very bad.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57# ..Yeah, yeah, yeah! #
0:51:57 > 0:52:00It isn't just a conductor's choral knowledge and technique
0:52:00 > 0:52:03that can shape the sound of a choir.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07Just as influential is their personality.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12I remember about 15 years ago, I came into the choir here, Eton Chapel Choir.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15And I started a practice
0:52:15 > 0:52:20and it was excellent, the sound was really vibrant.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25Normally I think I've got to work on that but it was really vibrant.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29And I said, "How come you've just suddenly made a good sound like that?"
0:52:29 > 0:52:31And the little boy said to me,
0:52:31 > 0:52:33"Cos you're in such a good mood, sir."
0:52:33 > 0:52:37And he absolutely put his finger on it - I was in a good mood.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41If you're in a good mood, standing in front of a lot of singers,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43that rubs off on them.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45When we smile at people, they smile back.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47# Swing low
0:52:47 > 0:52:49# Sweet chariot
0:52:49 > 0:52:54- # Coming for to carry me... # - One more time!
0:52:54 > 0:52:56You've got to want to be in front of people.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59And I'm not going to... I would love to say that all conductors
0:52:59 > 0:53:04are self-effacing and charming and modest and lovely. Some are and some are different.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07I think in order to want to be in front of people, leading them,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11you have to have almost a certain degree of arrogance
0:53:11 > 0:53:13and I'm not being rude by saying that.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16It's a tiny, tiny amount of it. You've got to be able to say,
0:53:16 > 0:53:20"I feel like this about this piece and I would like you to as well."
0:53:20 > 0:53:27# Fast falls the eventide... #
0:53:27 > 0:53:32I think my personality as a conductor is very...
0:53:32 > 0:53:33I think I'm very inspiring.
0:53:33 > 0:53:38Ah, definitely I use a lot of spontaneity when I'm in front of a choir
0:53:38 > 0:53:43so a choir has to be attentive, my choir has to pay attention when I'm in front of them
0:53:43 > 0:53:46because they may not know what I might lead them in to.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53And I find when I am... the more animated I am
0:53:53 > 0:54:00it's the better performance of the choir. And they certainly project a wonderful, joyful...
0:54:00 > 0:54:03umm, spirit and attitude to the audience.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06So the performance as a whole is much better as a result.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09# Abide
0:54:09 > 0:54:16# With me. #
0:54:16 > 0:54:18CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:21 > 0:54:26So, we feel like we've covered all sorts of things that are important in choirs
0:54:26 > 0:54:31but, above all, the most important thing about listening to a choir for me
0:54:31 > 0:54:34is the sort of heart and the emotion.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38The experience of listening to a choir is incredibly powerful.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44THEY SING IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE
0:54:54 > 0:55:00For me, the South African anti-apartheid anthem Nkosi Sikeleli Africa
0:55:00 > 0:55:04embodies all that's powerful about choral music.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17What I find moving about choirs is when it's a large group of people
0:55:17 > 0:55:19all coming together with one voice
0:55:19 > 0:55:23and everyone's singing together in harmony, at the same time,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26making a unified sound with one sense of purpose.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29I find that incredible because it's so..
0:55:29 > 0:55:32It's like nothing else that human beings do.
0:55:36 > 0:55:41# Nkosi sikeleli Africa. #
0:55:41 > 0:55:43I think the fact that it's got Africa in it
0:55:43 > 0:55:49immediately, you can hear in your head, can't you, massed voices.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53And you don't think of it as a solo line.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56You think of it as massed voices singing in harmony.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12For a piece of music, vocal music,
0:56:12 > 0:56:18that united a whole community. It represented their flag.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21It represented their strength
0:56:21 > 0:56:24and the sense of community and oneness.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27All their hopes and aspirations were in that piece.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36When you're joining a group of people and you're really singing together,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39it's a real community spirit.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42It's something that you can't describe in words,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45it's a feeling that you're all there with a common purpose
0:56:45 > 0:56:49and you're all expressing something that goes beyond words.
0:56:53 > 0:57:01It will become often a shared view of the world or a shared view of love,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04a shared view of something beautiful,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06a shared view of something terrible.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09A shared view of a great drama.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14And we will have all shared that together and that is extremely important.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33It's become synonymous with victory
0:57:33 > 0:57:37at the end of painful, painful struggle.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43And nothing else but a song sung by massed choirs
0:57:43 > 0:57:44can express that.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Thank you, it's lovely, really lovely.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24Wow, what a treat.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Thank you all, it's great. Thank you very much.
0:58:37 > 0:58:38You sound really good.
0:58:39 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:43 > 0:58:46E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk